Ndéye Saly Dieng Acquitted: Covid-19 Funds Case Dismissed

Dakar, Senegal – Former Minister of Women, Family, Gender, and Child Protection, Ndéye Saly Dieng, has been cleared of charges related to the alleged embezzlement of Covid-19 funds, the High Court of Justice announced on March 3, 2026. The decision, reached under the leadership of Abdoulaye Ba, First President of the Dakar Court of Appeal, marks the third dismissal in a series of investigations into the handling of pandemic-era relief funds.

Dieng had been indicted and placed under judicial supervision on May 19, 2025, accused of misappropriating 52 million FCFA. She subsequently deposited 57 million FCFA as a guarantee for her provisional release, according to Seneweb reports.

The High Court of Justice’s investigating committee formally notified Dieng’s legal team – Souleymane Soumaré, Sally Mamadou Thiam, Oumar Youm, and Aly Fall – of the dismissal order. The ruling concludes a probe that began in December 2025, with the investigating commission completing its perform and forwarding the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office at the Supreme Court for final recommendations.

This outcome follows the January 7, 2026, rulings in the cases of former ministers Aïssatou Sophie Gladima and Ismaïla Madior Fall, who were likewise referred to trial following investigations into the Covid-19 Relief Fund. To date, three of the five cases initiated following accusations of financial impropriety have been resolved by the committee.

Investigations remain ongoing concerning former ministers Moustapha Diop and Mansour Faye, both of whom were implicated in the Covid-19 Relief Fund investigation. Faye is currently released under judicial supervision, whereas Diop remains in detention.

Separately, the National Assembly initiated proceedings against former ministers Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr and Moussa Bocar Thiam on February 10, 2026, at the request of Justice Minister Yacine Fall. The session concerning Diouf Sarr was suspended pending additional documentation. However, a resolution to indict Moussa Bocar Thiam was adopted on February 27, 2026, alleging involvement in criminal association, embezzlement of public funds, and money laundering related to the “Senegal Connect Park” project. The National Assembly is now expected to transmit Thiam’s case file to the Prosecutor General at the Supreme Court for further action.